Changing Admin Password

  • Thread starter Thread starter Duck
  • Start date Start date
D

Duck

Can any account with administrative priviledges change the Admin
user's password (Win XP SP2)?
 
Duck said:
Can any account with administrative priviledges change the Admin
user's password (Win XP SP2)?
Click to expand...
Yes. All members of the administrators group are equal.
Jim
 
Duck said:
Can any account with administrative priviledges change the Admin
user's password (Win XP SP2)?
Click to expand...

Anyone with administrative priviledges can do anything they want to the
system EXCEPT access encrypted files.

However - they can (because of the nature of the beast (EFS)) - make it
difficult for the person with the encrypted files/folders to access them -
by changing the password on the account with encrypted files. If the person
with the encrypted files did *not* follow best practices and back up the
certificate regularly for the files/folders that were encrypted - it will be
be more than 'difficult' - and closer to impossible (or entirely impractical
in terms of time it would take, cost, etc.)

And - anyone with sufficient time/access to a computer (with just a little
knowledge) will own the data on that computer.
 
Shenan Stanley said:
Anyone with administrative priviledges can do anything they want to the
system EXCEPT access encrypted files.

However - they can (because of the nature of the beast (EFS)) - make it
difficult for the person with the encrypted files/folders to access them -
by changing the password on the account with encrypted files. If the
person with the encrypted files did *not* follow best practices and back
up the certificate regularly for the files/folders that were encrypted -
it will be be more than 'difficult' - and closer to impossible (or
entirely impractical in terms of time it would take, cost, etc.)

And - anyone with sufficient time/access to a computer (with just a little
knowledge) will own the data on that computer.
Click to expand...
Just to amplify what Shenan said:

All need to do is:

Have physical access to the computer
Have your own operating system on a C
Shut down the computer (if necessary, just turn it off)
Start the computer
Get into the BIOS
Change the default boot device to the CD
Continue, and you are in.

Jim
 
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